Diamonds Aren't Always a Girl's Best Friend
by Runner043
Summary: It was supposed to be another false alarm, but wasn't. Duffy and his men were supposed to be in and out of the jewelry store fast & easy, but they weren't. Diamonds were supposed to grace jewelry, not put you in danger, but they do. And Kono was supposed to be taken out of the picture, but she wasn't. Another Flangell re-write.
1. Chapter 1

"Diamonds Aren't Always a Girl's Best Friend" is another CSI:NY/Flangell rewrite of a story originally titled "2 B Continued".  
As a re-write, HF-0 style, that means it will feature our kick-ass Kono. And Super SEAL fans will be pleased that he will have a staring role as well.

My characters for this story will are:  
The bad guys; Duffy, Davis, Bentley, and Pauley  
Mr. Shore - he owns the jewelry store  
Brandon Quill works at the jewelry store  
Reporter Cindy Baker and her camera man Bob  
Judge Rakers

My returning characters;  
SWAT team leader Lieutenant Jose Diaz  
Diaz's side-kick Bradley  
hostage negotiator Agent Amber Layne

And now, chapter 1 of "Diamonds Aren't Always A Girl's Bet Friend"

AT FIVE-0 HQ...

Steve's rubbed his tired eyes as the sound of his ringing phone drew him

out of the sleepy daze he was currently in. "McGarrett." He answered,  
trying not to sound grumpy, or half asleep. It was a Sunday morning after  
all. An early Sunday morning, to be precise. And while it was nice to have  
everything almost wrapped up from last nights under cover op, no one had  
expected the op to drag into the early morning hours and the paperwork to  
take twice as long as expected. Of course, it would have helped if he had  
been able to dump his paperwork off onto Danny like he usually did. But  
Danny was with Grace, so Steve was stuck with doing his own paperwork,  
for once. Of course, if he was as efficient as Chin, he would have been  
done an hour ago and been long gone, like Chin was.

"Wait up, Kono." Steve said as he exited his office less than a minutes  
later.

"What's up, Boss?" Kono asked, her now empty coffee cup in hand as she  
headed to the break room to put it away before leaving to get some much  
needed sleep.

"Silent alarm at a jewelry store. HPD has checked it out, twice." He  
informed her.

"Doesn't exactly sound like a job for Five-0." She commented.

"It does when they find a dead body in the alley behind the building." He  
clarified.

"Silent alarm goes off, gets checked, but no robbery. Alarm goes off again,  
gets checked again, still no robbery. And now a dead body?" She asks.

"That pretty much sums it up." He said, leading the way out.

"You drive. I'll call Chin and Danny." She said, following him out.

TWENTY MINUTES LATER...

Steve and Kono flashed their badges as they ducked under the yellow  
crime scene tape. The officer waved them through and gestured to Chin,  
who was standing near where Max and Charlie were examining the body.

"What've we got?" Steve asked Chin as he approached.

"Just got here myself." Chin began, as Steve and Kono crouched next to  
the dead body. "But with two silent alarms here earlier, but no robbery, I'm  
guessing that these scuff marks just outside the door were where a fight  
took place."

"Which means, if they'd made any contact with the door during their fight, it  
would have set off the alarm." Kono finished for him, and watched her  
cousin nod in agreement.

"Well, this probably has nothing to do with the jewelry store then, but we're  
gonna go check inside anyway. Maybe someone heard or saw something."  
And with that Steve and Kono went around the building to the front door.

"Well, for someone who was in a fight, he has no apparent injuries." Max  
said. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Charlie asked, engrossed in his picture taking.

"Yeah, I did. It sounded like someone just locked this door." Chin said,  
indicating the door to the back of the jewelry store that they and the dead  
body were near.

Charlie stood, put on fresh gloves so he wouldn't transfer any trace  
evidence, then reached for the nob. "It's locked."


	2. Bentley Hates Cops

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 2  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INSIDE THE JEWELRY STORE...

"Nobody move!" A masked man (Duffy) with a gun shouted as he came charging in from the back room, with two more just like him following, only they carried sawed off shotguns.

"Hey, how'd you get in here?" The jewelry store's manager Mr. Shore asked in shock as he was quickly approached by Duffy, who didn't answer, but pointed his gun at Shore's chest.

Shore could hear his salesman Brandon Quill, "Oh my God!" He said repeatedly as he backed himself up against a wall, obviously seeking as much distance as possible from the armed man (Bentley) that was approaching him, gun already aimed.

Fortunately for Steve and Kono, a glass display counter stood between them as the third armed man (Davis) came directly to them, gun raised. They both kept silent as they analyzed the situation. Steve, who was now standing behind Kono, mimicked her in raising his hands only at the elbows, as he knew she was trying to keep her shirt from rising up, revealing her gun and badge clipped to her belt.

"Open the safe." Duffy ordered Shore, who seemed to be frozen in fear. "Open it!" He shouted. Shore finally managed to get his body to cooperate and slowly headed over to his desk in the corner. He moved the large picture on the wall, revealing a safe.

"Cop!" Bentley suddenly yelled out, taking aim at the front window and firing. The glass shattered everywhere, but Chin had ducked in time. "There was a cop at the window, lookin' in!" Bentley shouted to Duffy and Davis, his adrenaline obviously rushing.

"You trip an alarm, old man?" Duffy asked, pushing Shore up against the wall and pressing the shot gun up under his chin. Shore just kept shaking his head 'no' as Duffy kept asking, "Did you?" repeatedly.

"Well I hate cops!" Bentley shouted, "And if I see another one, I'll shoot at them, too!"

"Chill, man! Now, let's just get what we came for and get outta here before any more of 'em show up." Davis, who appeared to be the cool headed one among them said. And with that, he used the butt of his shot gun to smash the glass display counter in front of him, causing both Steve and Kono to jump back to stay clear of the flying glass.

Even with the momentary distraction, there was no safe way to take down even one of the guys, yet, and without too great a risk to Shore or Quill. So Steve at least used the opportunity to slide his badge and gun around to the back of his pants, his shirt tail covering both. At least with them centered in the back like that, there was less risk of them being seen.

Steve had taken seriously how much these guys hated cops and as he and Kono backed up, he did something that would normally get him put in a head lock; he slid his hand around her waist, took hold of the gun and badge on her right hip, and slid it around to the back of her pants, like his already was. Right now, their only goal was to make sure no one got shot before this whole ordeal was over.

OUTSIDE...

"It will be necessary for you to hold still, Lieutenant Kelly." Max stated, as he continued wiping blood from Chin's forehead. The bullet may have missed him, but the glass hadn't.

"I'm fine, Max." He insisted, again, as he pushed the hand away in a 'don't fuss with me right now' kind of way.

"That would be easier for me to beleive if you weren't bleeding, Lieutenant." Max emphasized, reaching for a butterfly bandage.

"Yeah, I'm bleeding because I got shot at by a perp that hates cops. And if he finds out he's in there with two more cops, there's gonna be a whole lot more bleeding going on around here." Chin said, as Max put the butterfly bandage on as fast as he could. It wasn't on as well as it should have been, crooked, actually, but Chin was standing up and the first aid was over regardless.

"Chin." Was all Danny said as he huriedly approached.

"Danny." Was all Chin gave by way of greeting before explaining what was going on, or at least what he knew, which seemed to be not much compared to what they needed to know.


	3. Fifteen Minutes

**chapter 3, "Fifteen Minutes"**

"Excuse me, sir." Said the blonde lady next to Chin, "Did I hear you say  
your cousin is in there?"

Chin turned to her, noticing the microphone in her hand and a man  
holding a camera over her shoulder before he spoke. "No. I didn't." He  
said, knowing it could be unwise if the media got wind that a cop, or two in  
this case, were in the building.

"Officer, would you escort this reporters outside of the tape." Chin asked,  
waving the officer over, but not breaking eye contact with the reporter. The  
lady just looked at him sternly before huffing as she walked away.

**BACK INSIDE...**

"It can't be opened it right now." Mr. Shore pleaded with Duffy. "I told you,  
it's on a timer. This safe can only be opened at five minutes till the top of  
the hour to five minutes past. That's it, it can't be opened at any other  
time."

Duffy huffed. He hadn't wanted this, or a delay of any kind for that matter.  
It was bad enough when Pauley went and had a heart attack, or a stroke,  
or whatever it was that caused him to keel over like that. Dang, they  
probably should have stuffed his body in a closet or something, instead of  
hauling him out the back door. At any rate, they had to wait another fifteen  
minutes till the safe could be opened because they weren't leaving without  
those diamonds. In the meantime, he hoped they didn't have to resort to  
Plan-B.

"Hey, Duffy?" He heard Bentley call over, "There's a tv over here, he said,  
gesturing to the small monitor behind the counter. I'm gonna turn it on while  
we wait." Duffy nodded, maybe a distraction would keep Bentley from  
thinking about the cops that were surely coming.

Steve and Kono sat on the floor with Shore and Quill, leaned up against the  
wall, while two of their captors paced the room, Duffy in front of the blown  
out front window, Davis right there in front of them, and then there was  
Bentley, who was surprisingly amused by the tv set.

Fifteen minutes would seem like forever, or maybe not. Kono knew that  
Steve was working out a tactical plan in that Super SEAL mind of his. He  
was probably deciding which way to take out each of the tangos, and would  
have probably already done so if it wasn't for the risk of Shore or Quill  
getting hurt in the process.

"Holy shit!" Bentley suddenly started shouting. "Duffy! Duffy, come here!  
We're on the news, and this reporter lady is sayin' there's a cop in here."

"What?" Duffy and Davis both exclaimed.

"Yeah, man, listen. There she goes again, sayin' she's outside this place  
with 'insider information' that there's a cop in here with us." And with that,  
Bentley aimed his gun at the jewelry store's manager.

"I'm the manager. I work here." Shore stammered out while shaking his  
head before any of them even asked him a question.

"Well, one of you's a cop!" Bentley screamed as he grabbed the front of  
Shore's shirt, picking him half way up off the floor, "And I hate cops!" He  
screamed before letting go of Shore, who plopped back down onto the floor.

Bentley grabbed Quill by the shirt next, "Who are you and what are you  
doing here?!"

"I, I... I, I work here." Quill managed to stammer out, obviously very  
frightened. His shirt was released and he also fell back to the floor.

Bentley moved to the next in line and grabbed Kono by her hair, pulled her  
to her feet and shoving her back against the wall, "Who are you and what are you  
doing here?!" He screamed into her face.

"Just shopping." She said quietly and not making eye contact with him.

"For what?" He asked.

"A gift." She said, still quiet. "A gift for my mom."

"You a cop?!" He screamed, getting in her face.

She just shook her head 'no' but he jerked her suddenly, slamming the back  
of her head against the wall. "I work at the cannery. The cannery on  
Pacific." She said, only slightly louder this time and using a prevous cover.

Steve knew Kono was good at acting via her previous under cover work,  
but was still impressed with how she played her current roll of a scared  
shopper. He knew his turn was next as Bentley let go of her and she slowly  
lowered herself down the wall. It was his turn to be convincing, but Bentley  
didn't approach him like he had the others. Instead, he took a step back  
and raised his shot gun at him.

"Guess, that only leaves you." Bentley spoke in a surprisingly calm tone,  
giving Steve a glare as he looked down at him.

"Hey, man," Steve began, with an 'I'm innocent' gesture of the hands, "I just  
picked a lousy day to go shopping."

"Oh yeah? Who are you, and shopping for what?" Bentley asked, hoping  
to catch him in a lie.

"Steven Callahan. I'm looking for an engagement ring." Steve said,  
knowing he'd been standing in front of the ring case when all hell broke  
loose, because he'd just watched Quill slide a tray of rings into it. The  
last thing he needed was for them to catch him in a lie.

**MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE...**

"You can't do that." Cindy Baker of KKHI-tv told Danny. "There's this thing  
called freedom of the press." She added placing her hands on her hips.

To say that Danny disliked this lady would be an understatement. He  
mimicked her stance and said, "There is also this thing called 'confirming  
information'. It's what responsible members of the press are supposed to  
do before reporting information as fact."

"For your information, Detective, I-" She began.

"No,... for your information, Miss. Baker, your reporting is aggrivating this  
situation." Danny said, cutting her off and taking a step closer. "Now get  
back two blocks like the rest of the media, before I arrest you and your  
cameraman both." He added, pointing a finger at her.

"Come on, Bob. I have an idea." Baker told her cameraman as they  
watched the Detective storm away.


	4. Plan B

**Chapter 4, "Plan B"**

"Charlie," Chin asked over the monitor in the back of the recently arrived  
SWAT van, "Where's that surveillance footage from inside?"

"No luck so far, Chin." Charlie answered.

"What's taking so long?" Danny piped in, standing next to Chin.

"It's the private security company the jewelry store uses. They're denying  
us access to the live feed, saying they have first rights and should be down  
there taking care of this situation instead of Five-0 and SWAT." Charlie explained.

Danny rolled his eyes, "That's ridiculous." He said, mostly to himself.

"Charlie, I want you to call Judge Rakers. Get a court order, and get me  
that live feed. I need to see what's going on inside that building." Chin  
ordered.

"Will do." Charlie said, then signed off.

INSIDE...

"There's cops out there, Duffy." Davis said, obviously agitated. "They're  
stayin' back, but they're out there."

"Then let's give 'em some proof we're serious." Duffy answered, hoping  
they wouldn't need to go to Plan-B. But they wanted the diamonds in the  
safe and weren't gonna leave without 'em.

"Which one you want?" Davis asked.

"The lady." Duffy answered.

Davis walked over to Kono and started pulling her up to her feet, "Get up!"  
He shouted at her as the others on the floor moved away at seeing Duffy  
raise his gun.

_'Oh shit. Even if I pull my gun, there's still three of them, and that would just_  
_get more of us killed. And if I fight, oh geez, if I fight then Steve will get_  
_involved, then they'll either figure he's a cop or we're both cops, or..._  
_damn.'_ Kono's mind raced as to how to best handle the situation.

"You can't just go around shooting people." Shore spoke up. "This is crazy.  
We've done nothing but cooperate. The timer on the safe, it only has 11  
minutes to go. You can have the diamonds. Just don't hurt anyo-."

"Shut up!" Davis shouted, cutting him off, "Unless you wanna take her  
place."

Shore's eyes went wide. He didn't wanna see the lady get hurt, hell he'd  
even kept quiet that she was a cop, but he had a wife to get home to. He  
just looked at her apologetically and shook his head.

"Didn't think so." Duffy said as he raised his gun.

Kono braced herself for what she knew was coming, heard the shot, but felt  
nothing, then heard a thud. She opened her eyes, seeing Steve, who had  
stood at least five feet to her left only a moment ago, now lay on the floor in  
front of her. She crouched down, taking in the blood coming from his right arm.  
"Shit, -"

"Steven." He said through gritted teeth, cutting her off and looking up at her,  
"Call me Steven." He repeated as he slowly sat up, holding up the appearance  
that they did not know each other.

"Right. Shit, Steven." She replied, realizing she was about to call him  
'Boss'. That could have been disastrous, considering these guys had  
probably all done time at some point and Five-0 is known all too well within  
prison walls. "What'd ya go and do that for?"

"Um, I'm not sure, Lady." He said carefully, as she took off her thin cotton  
vest and pressed it against the wound on his arm. At least she had picked  
a good day to go for the layered look.

"Give me your tie." She ordered Quill, stretching out her hand for it.

"It's just a clip on." He said with a shrug, "Won't do you much good."

"Here." Shore said as he loosened his tie.

Kono pushed Steve's hand out of the way as she took the tie from Shore and  
secured it tightly around Steve's arm just above the elbow. The bullet had  
entered just below the elbow in the thickest part of the forearm. With the tie  
in place she used her vest again to apply pressure to the wound as blood ran  
down and dripped off his fingertips.


	5. Not Just Any Piece Of Fabric

Chapter 5, "Not Just Any Piece Of Fabric"

OUTSIDE THE JEWELRY STORE...

"We have shots fired. Shots fired inside the building." Came an  
announcement from SWAT member Bradley in everyone's ear  
piece or radio as everyone made sure they'd taken cover.

"Give me that." Chin said, gesturing to the bull horn a SWAT member had.

"Careful, Lieutenant." SWAT Commander Jose Diaz cautioned, "You don't want  
to antagonize them. Besides, our Hostage Negotiator Amber Layne will be  
here any minute."

"I know, Diaz." Chin seethed in response. "But they won't answer the phones,  
and we've got to get them talking to us." He wanted his ohana back safe. He stood, but  
stayed behind the squad car, "This is Five-0, you are surrounded." No answer.

"Danny, here's the building's blueprints Charlie had sent over." Sargent  
Lukela said, unrolling the papers across the back end of the squad car. "I'm  
thinking the perps got in through the duct work on the roof and hid, waiting  
for the jewelry store to open to rob it."

Danny nodded, "Yeah, it being a Sunday. They probably didn't open as early.  
Perps wanted the manager there too so he could open the safe for them." He  
said, watching Lukela nod in agreement.

"Charlie?" Chin said, having returned to the monitor in the back of the  
SWAT van. "Any progress on getting us that live feed?"

"Judge Rakers' office just faxed over the papers, and I just got off the  
phone with the surveillance company. They gave me the pass codes and  
I'll have a feed up for you in less than a minute." Charlie said.

"Good work, Charlie. We need to see what's going on in there." Danny said.

BACK INSIDE...

"Okay, okay, you're a cannery worker, not a nurse. Now give me that."  
Duffy impatiently ordered Kono, gesturing to her vest she still had pressed up against  
the wound on Steve's arm.

"Sorry, Steven." She said, looking at him sheepishly. She knew the  
pressure she was applying should not be stopped yet.

"I'm fine." He said back to her. Kono nodded and handed her scarf over to  
Duffy, and they all watched as he began tying it in a knot.

"Get up." Davis instructed Quill. "Get up, I said!" He shouted when Quill  
didn't get to his feet fast enough. Davis grabbed Quill and hauled him over  
to Duffy who shoved the knotted up scarf into his hands. "Now, you're  
gonna walk over to the door and throw this outside, as far as you can." He  
paused as Quill looked at him like a deer in headlights. "And I'm gonna  
have my gun on you, and if you do anything stupid, I'll shoot you."

Quill nodded, looked down at the bloody scarf in his hands and slowly  
walked towards the door.

OUTSIDE...

"Sir," Bradley addressed Diaz, "We have movement at the door." He said, never  
taking his eye away from the scope on his rifle.

Diaz, Chin, and Danny all took up binoculars to get a closer look at what  
was happening and watched as a young man pushed the door open with  
one hand, the other held up high with something in it. He stopped in the  
doorway, using his foot to keep it open, holding both hands up for a moment,  
probably wanting to make sure they realize he's not one of the bad guys.  
He kept looking back over his shoulder as if someone inside was talking to  
him, he nodded, then he slowly pulls back an arm and let's something fly  
before moving his foot and letting the door close again.

"Get someone over there." Diaz instructed, then several SWAT members  
went forward in a tight side-by-side formation to collect what was thrown.

"It's a piece of fabric." Diaz stated, as he put on gloves.

"That's not just a piece of fabric." Danny injected. "It's a vest. I recognize it.  
It's Kono's."

Diaz un-knotted the bloody fabric in his hands, revealing that it was indeed a  
vest. "They want us to know they're serious and willing to kill." He stated,  
then looked up at Danny.

But Danny wasn't looking back at him. Diaz followed the Detective's line of  
sight to where Chin was standing about fifteen feet away. The Lieutenant  
staring at the bloody vest. A look of resolve on his face.


	6. Live Footage

Chapter 6, "Live Footage"

Danny's phone rang, "Williams." He answered, pulling his eyes away from Chin.

"What is that, Danny? Is it Steve's?" He heard.

"What? Catherine?" Danny asked, looking around him.

"Is it Steve's?" Catherine asked again.

"No. It's Kono's." He asked, looking around, but not seeing her. "Where are you?"

"I'm at Steve's place. We were supposed to go out for breakfast, but he never showed up." Catherine answered.

"Then, how...?" Danny mumbled.

"You're on tv, Danny. I can see something bloody in your hand." She explained.

"Don't worry. It's not Steve's." Danny said, still looking around.

"Look up." She instructed. "The angle on the tv is from up higher."

Danny looked up, there was a hotel across the street. The reporter and her  
camera man he'd chased away earlier were on a fourth floor balcony  
feeding live footage of the scene. "I gotta go, Catherine. I'll have Steve  
call you when this is all over."

Danny called over two officers, gave one the bagged scarf to take to the  
crime lab and the other instructions to head for the hotel.

"Danny," Chin said. He stepped over to the back of the SWAT van where  
the live surveillance camera footage from inside the jewelry store had  
finally become available. "I can see the manager Michael Shore here."  
Chin, gesturing to him on the screen. "And that's Brandon Quill, a  
salesman there." He said, also gesturing to the screen.

"Yeah, that's good, but all we can see of Steve and Kono are their feet.  
The rest of them is blocked by the display counter." Danny added.

"Yeah." Chin mumbled, followed by a heavy sigh. "That doesn't help us know  
which of them is injured."

"Speaking of injuries." They heard Max say as he approached from behind,  
"Let me see." He semi-requested, gesturing to Chin's forehead.

"I'm fine, Max." Chin assured him, trying to brush him off.

"I do believe I am the doctor here, Lieutenant. Therefor, I will be the judge of that."  
Max said, taking a closer look at his previous work. "I still don't see any glass fragments.  
Looks clean. It'll need a few stitches later, when this is all over."

Chin tried not to smirk, "Thanks, Max." He said, trying not to appear ungrateful.  
Which was hard, considering that right now his concerns were elsewhere.

Max shot him a look, "You are most welcome. I've also got news about our vic  
in the alley. My preliminary exam indicates that it was a heart attack."

Lukela, who had approached as Max spoke, added, "His name is Jonathan  
Pauley, and he works for the same private security company that the jewelry  
store here uses." He paused, noticing the look on Danny and Chin's faces  
change to contemplation. "And according to them, Pauley is supposed to be  
working elsewhere today and wasn't wearing the company's mandatory issue  
uniform."

"Sounding like he could be a fourth perp. Well, at least he didn't get to turn  
off the live feed before he died." Danny stated.

"They still won't respond." They heard Layne say as she and Sythe  
approached. "And Mrs. Shore just arrived."

"And there's still no clear sniper shot." Diaz added.

AN HOUR LATER...

"They're still out there, Duffy. Damn it, we've got all these diamonds, but no  
way out." Davis ranted, a slight case of cabin fever getting to him.

"Go splash some water on your face." Duffy suggested, gesturing to the  
back where the bathroom was.

"Can I, um, can I go, too?" Shore asked sheepishly. Davis just looked at  
him as he slowly rose to his feet.

"Take him with you." Duffy ordered Davis, who nodded at Shore.

"You try getting old and having kidney problems." He heard Shore mumble  
apologetically to Davis as they headed for the back hall.

"I say we shoot our way outta here." Bentley stated, "And kill as many cops  
in the process as we can." He added, waving his gun around with a wild  
look in his eyes.

"No. But it is time for Plan-C." Duffy informed him.

*note: In the next chapter you will find out what Plan-C is.


	7. Plan C

C**hapter 7, "Plan C"...**

"It is time for Plan-C." Duffy informed him... "C-4, that is."

As soon as Davis and Shore returned to the main part of the store,  
Duffy sent Davis to the back again. He returned a minute later with three  
vests. Vests that got Steve and Kono's attention.

Duffy ordered Shore back to his feet and forced him to put on the  
bomb-laden vest. 'Cruel irony' Shore thought to himself, since the vest  
reminded him of a life preserver, securing in front with two plastic clips  
fitting together. "Let me hear it click." Duffy demanded, forcing Shore to snap the  
two ends together, possibly sealing his fate. He then ordered Quill to stand  
and do the same. "Lucky you, mate." He said to Steve before he gave a  
jerk of his head indicating to Kono that it was her turn to stand up, "We've  
only got one left."

But Kono wasn't about to cooperate. No, if they wanted her in that vest,  
they were gonna have to fight for it. She still couldn't pull her gun, but there  
was one thing she could do; And with that, she suddenly knocked Duffy's  
feet out from under him, which sent his gun flying to the far side of the  
room, then proceeded to kick his ass while Bentley held his gun on Shore  
and Quill, and Davis held his gun on Steve. But Duffy wasn't gonna let  
some chick take him down without a fight. They all watched the two go at it,  
throwing punches and kicks at each other for several minutes.

BACK OUTSIDE...

"Kelly." Chin said, answering his phone.

"Chin, it's Charlie. The scarf may be Kono's, but the blood comes back as a  
DNA match to Steve." Charlie informed him.

"Shit." Chin said under his breath, then let out a heavy sigh. "Thanks, Charlie."  
Frustration now plagued him, as well as a tinge of guilt. Not that he wanted the  
blood to be Steve's, but if he was honest with himself he'd have to admit that he  
was glad it wasn't his cousins.

"Chin!" Danny called out to get his attention, "You gotta see this." Chin rushed over  
and they all watched the live surveillance feed from the back of the SWAT van. "The vests- "

"Are bombs." Chin finished for him as he closed his eyes, pinching the  
bridge of his nose. This just took things to a whole new level.

"Sir," Bradley said to Diaz. "A fight just broke out." And they returned their  
attention back to the monitor and watched Kono fighting with one of the perps.

INSIDE...

The broken glass all over the floor from when the perps had shattered the  
display cases earlier, was now making things worse, resulting in more slips  
and falls, and of course glass cuts. Kono grabbed Duffy's head and  
slammed it down hard on her knee causing him to stumble backwards and  
blood to pour from his probably broken nose, before high-kicking him in the  
gut which sent him falling back into the only un-broken display case there  
was left. His retaliation was to pick up a broken off piece of metal from the  
case's frame and start swinging at her. Several attempts at this put her off  
balance as she dodged, giving him the upper hand. He grabbed her by the  
back of the hair and spun her into the concrete wall, pinned her arm behind  
her, then pulled her into a choke-hold which he held until she slowly slid to the  
floor.

Steve just sat there stunned and disgusted as Bentley and Davis whooped and hollered at  
each other in victory. They probably would have high fived each other if  
they weren't on opposite sides of the room. Duffy had stepped back to lick  
his wounds, so Steve crawled over to Kono, who's motionless body lay only  
a few feet away. She faced the room, so her back was to the wall, so he  
crouched in front of her. He could feel her breath on is hand, and he knew that she  
was alive, but if they approached to put the bomb-vest on her they would see her  
badge for sure. So he started asking, "You okay, lady?" as he did the only thing he  
could think of; he reached over her and removed her badge and slid it into his shirt pocket.  
"Lady, you okay?" He asked repeatedly out loud as he crouched down to whisper to her quietly,  
"Just stay still, Kono. If you can hear me, just stay still and don't move."


	8. Click

chapter 8 "Click"

OUTSIDE THE JEWELRY STORE...

The sound of heavy sighs filled the air around the SWAT van, as those  
watching on the monitor were filled with frustration.

Chin watched his cousin as she slowly slid down the wall. Was she  
unconscious? Was she dead? He didn't know, which may have been the  
hardest part. 'Why did she fight?' he asked himself. 'Oh God, of course  
she should fight.' he reasoned with himself. 'Damn it, why didn't Steve  
protect her? Maybe he couldn't' he thought to himself, his mind racing.  
"Chin?" His internal battle was disturbed as he heard his name being called.

"Hey, Chin." Danny was repeating, this time with a firm and comforting hand  
on his shoulder. "We're gonna get her out, man. We're gonna get them both  
out of there. You hear me?"

"Yeah." Was Chin's unconvincing reply.

BACK INSIDE...

"Damn it, Duff. I wanted to kill her!" Bentley shouted. "I hate cops! Why  
couldn't you let me be the one to kill her?" He ranted on.

"Well, at least we know who the cops is." Duffy stated, "Ain't no cannery worker  
that can fight like that." He added, still wiping blood from his face.

"Let's put the vest on her." Bentley suggested.

Davis shooed Steve away and reached for Kono's wrist and lifted it up,  
"Why?" He asked as it flopped back down onto the floor. "I think she's  
dead."

"'Cause even if she is dead, I still wanna blow her up!" Bentley yelled, and  
it was obvious Duffy was mulling it over.

Steve could tell Duffy was thinking about it, and decided right then that he  
just couldn't take that chance, not with one of his team. "She's not the cop."  
He stated, earning their attention as he rose to his feet. "I am." He added,  
pulling Badge's badge from his pocket.

"What the?" Davis stammered. "No way. Duffy's right, there ain't no cannery  
worker that can't fight like that."

"An unlucky shopper from a tough neighborhood. Sucks to be her." Steve bluffed  
with an almost casual shrug, "But she's still not a cop."

Bentley's brow furrowed, his eyes bore into Steve's, "Put it on him." He all but  
growled through gritted teeth.

Steve took a step back, "You've got two choices, Duffy." He began,  
directing his words to their leader. The last person he wanted to deal with  
was cop-hater Bentley. "You even try to put that vest on me, and I'll show  
you what it's like to fight a real cop." He paused, thinking, 'Kono would beat  
the crap outta me for saying that.' "Or," He continued, "You get her out of  
here so she can get some medical attention, which just might lessen your  
sentence time once your ass is in jail,... and I'll put the vest on."

Steve just stood there, he could tell Duffy was mulling it over. Oh God, he hated  
bombs. Feeling your flesh ripped open and pierced with fragments, oh how  
he remembered it well, but he would do it all over again, as it appeared he  
just might, if it meant saving Kono's life. Kono's badge was still in his hand  
and he rubbed his fingers over the words Five-0, while he waited for the verdict, or  
his death sentence, or whatever was about to happen.

"Pick her up." Duffy ordered Davis.

"You can't listen to him, Duff." Bentley all but whined.

"Shut up." Duffy ordered Bentley. "Now do as I say." He told Davis.

Davis shooed Steve away again as he walked over to Kono. He bent  
down, scooped her up, and carried her to the front door.

"I'm gonna stay here at the door, till you get back in here." Duffy informed  
him. "Ready?" He asked, Davis nodded, and the door was opened.

OUTSIDE...

"Sir," Bradley called out to Diaz, "The Bomb Squad is here and we've got  
activity at the door again."

They all watched as one of the perps stepped out, carrying Kono. Her  
arms hanging limp and swaying slightly with each of his steps, and her head  
tilted back, letting her long dark hair blow in the wind. "Medics, stand  
by." everyone heard Lukela quietly and calmly speak into the radio. A  
second perp stayed at the door, propping it open with his foot, both hands  
holding a sawed off shotgun, obviously making sure his partner got back  
inside.

INSIDE...

Steve watched through the window as Davis carried Kono out to safety. That  
was all that mattered right now. If strapping on this bomb meant her staying  
alive, he was more than willing. He would do this for his team.

"Let me hear it click." He heard Bentley say. "Or we bring her back in."  
He threatened.

Steve looked at him, then down at the two ends in his shaking hands. Once he  
clicked them together, the vest would be secured on him, and the bomb would  
be active. Oh God, he hated bombs.

Click.


	9. Oh, I Don't Think So

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
chapter 9 "Oh, I don't think so"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

KONO'S POV...  
She could feel herself being carried, but she wasn't sure by whom because  
she didn't dare open her eyes at the moment. Her head hurt. In fact, all of  
her hurt. She was outside now, that much she'd figured out by the wind  
blowing on them. "Just throw her down the steps and get back in here."  
She heard one of the perps say. Duffy she thought it was. She wondered  
where Steve was. Is his arm still bleeding? Is he okay? She felt her arms  
and feet sway as whoever it was that was carrying her took more steps.  
'Just throw me down the steps? ... Oh, I don't think so.'

CHIN'S POV (and pretty much everyone else that was watching, too)...  
He watched as the first perp continued walked slowly away from the  
door, about ten feet, then stopped. He crouched down, it appeared he was  
going to lay Kono at the top of the steps, that was as far as he intended  
to take her. 'She moved' he told himself, sucking in a breath. 'Kono  
moved, I know she did.' he assured himself. And sure enough, he watched  
the perp leaned down just as Kono reached up and grabbed him around  
the head and rolled him over the top of her, sending them both down the steps.  
There may have only been five or six steps, but they were still concrete and he  
could hear everyone around him groan as if in sympathy pains. Kono  
finally rolled to a stop, landing on her back at the base of the steps, the  
perp had landed on the bottom step just above her. She pulled her gun from  
the back of her belt, then gripped the perp around the neck, pulling him down  
on top of her. With his back pressed against her, she used him as a human  
shield and took aim at the second perp still standing at the door. She fired.  
He returned fire, hitting the first perp in the chest, twice. She fired again,  
hitting her mark this time, right in the forehead.

INSIDE THE JEWELRY STORE...

Bentley had pendulum eyes; going back-and-forth between Steve and the  
SWAT team outside the window collecting Duffy and Davis' guns along with  
their bodies. Damn, he needed those extra guns! He had only his left.  
"Guess it's down to just us, guys."

BACK OUTSIDE...

The wall of SWAT members walked side-by-side, shielding Kono until they  
got her to the safety of the waiting ambulance. "Thanks guys." She told  
them with genuine gratitude.

"I'm okay. Just a knot on the head, and this blood is Steve's." She told both  
Max and the paramedic who were fussing over her.

"Officer Kalakaua." Was all Max said, his arms crossing over his chest and  
slowly shaking his head as the paramedic held out an oxygen mask.

"What?" She asked dismissively while attempting to wipe the blood off her hands.

"You will not be rushing off to assist in the rescue of Commander McGarrett  
just yet." Max stated firmly. "At least not until I confirm that all that blood is his.  
Besides, you've got cuts all over your hands." He added, but he was on a roll now,  
so he continued. "Now I must insist that you sit here with this oxygen mask on  
because I watched on the monitor as that guy put you into a choke-hold. You passed  
out due to lack of oxygen" He said with a straight face and serious tone of voice.

"Max, I'm fine." She insisted, hoping he had not gone into the technicalities of  
how long a choke hold must be held in order for oxygen deprivation to cause them  
to pass out.

"No you're not." Both Chin and Danny said in unison as they approached  
with Diaz, causing Kono to roll her eyes in frustration. She really just  
wanted to go help get Steve outta there. After all, it was her fault he was  
still in there, or at least that's how she saw it.

"Now sit down and put that mask on." Diaz ordered. "You've got to brief us anyway."

INSIDE...

"Sit down." Bentley ordered Shore who currently stood against the wall with  
his fellow captors as he gestured to the chair in front of him. "I said, get  
over her and sit down!"

Shore slowly walked over to Bentley with his hands raised and sat in the  
chair. Bentley lowered his gun, thought never his eyes, long enough to duct  
tape Shore's hands behind him, making sure to catch a rung of the chair so  
he couldn't get up.

"Now you get over here." He ordered Quill, who did the same and got the same.

Then Bentley walked over to Steve, still pointing his gun at him, "That way."  
He ordered, gesturing to the back hallway. "Move it!"

Steve slowly walked through the doorway and down the hall to an office.  
Bentley shut the door behind them and told Steve to sit in the chair before  
taking out a cell phone.

MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE...

When Kono was finished, she noticed Diaz's attention focused on  
something he was listening to in his ear piece. "Bentley's moved to the  
back office with McGarrett. Left the other two in the front." He said.

"He's feeling trapped. Probably thinks we'll use tear gas or something on  
him." Danny said.

"Come with me." Diaz said, "You, too, Officer Kalakaua."

INSIDE THE BACK OFFICE...

"Guess I didn't need to pre-program number two after all." Bentley said with  
an evil grin as he pressed the auto dial number one button.

An immediate explosion, followed by a second, was heard and felt. Steve  
instinctively ducked, wondering if his vest was about to go off, too. But then quickly  
realized Bentley wouldn't be anywhere near him if the bomb was that  
sensitive. He looked at the sickening expression on Bentley's face,

"Bastard."


	10. Window

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
chapter 10 "Window"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OUTSIDE THE JEWELRY STORE...

Smoke and debris came flying through the front door and what was left of  
the large front window of the jewelry store.

Kono stood between Chin and Danny, gasping for air. 'Oh God, no.' she  
kept repeating inside her head as the smoke began to clear.

Then Layne's phone rang. "It's Bentley." he mouthed to those around her.  
They all listened to the hostage negotiator's side of the conversation till she hung up. "He wants  
a van brought around to the back door. Didn't say if he intended on taking  
Commander McGarrett with him or not." She informed everyone. "I'll get to working on  
the van while you finish here. Just remember, we cannot let him leave here."

Everyone nodded in understanding and just grateful at the moment that  
Steve was still alive.

"Here," Diaz began, gesturing to the building's blueprints, "This is where  
Bentley and McGarrett are now, in the back offices. There's a row of small windows up high on this  
outside wall. That's all, it's our only view inside, and our only chance at a  
shot and it'll have to be taken from that rooftop over there." He said,  
gesturing to the next building over. He paused, looking at Chin, "I'd like  
Detective Kono's help. There are six of those windows, and I'd like a  
sniper at each one."

"You need another sniper." Danny stated.

Diaz nodded, "She's good." He said in confidence, knowing her reputation and skill.

Chin wordlessly nodded, knowing he didn't even need to ask her if she  
was willing, and a SWAT member approached with her gear.

Kono quickly worked herself into a jump suit. She secured her side arm before  
the SWAT guy started handing her additional weapons for every slot and pocket  
the jump suit had. She was securing a bullet belt over her shoulder when she felt  
a hand on her arm.

"I'm okay, Cuz." She assured him, and he wordlessly nodded. "I have to go."

"Yeah. I know." He mumbled as he finally loosened his grip on her before turning  
to walk back to the SWAT van.

"Keep an eye on him for me, Danny." She said as he approached from the opposite  
direction. He gave her a reassuring nod, then she picked up her rifle and walked away,  
dressed in head-to-toe black and laden with sniper gear, just like the SWAT members  
accompanying her. She had a job to do.

ON A NEARBY ROOFTOP...  
Kono twisted her hair till it was tight and tucked under the SWAT hat she  
wore. The last thing she needed was it in her face or, worse yet, flying  
about in the wind and getting unwanted attention from a perp she was  
supposed to be hiding from. She crouched down along the roof's edge,  
taking her place within the row of snipers, and checked her ear piece. They  
were each assigned a window. She wasn't quite sure if she hoped for a  
clear shot of Bentley in her scope so she could take him out herself, of if  
she didn't want that responsibility. Right now she could see enough of  
Steve to tell he was sitting in a chair along the far wall with the bomb  
strapped to him, and she had to fight to keep the image from messing with  
her mind.

Forty minutes later several of them had had minor opportunities to take out  
Bentley, but no one a clear shot. He kept his gun in one hand, a cell phone  
in the other, which he put down only occasionally to talk to Layne on the  
office phone about the van he was wanting. Layne was good at stalling,  
but they all knew this couldn't go on much longer. Bentley was pacing now,  
obviously growing more agitated. 'I've got a shot.' Kono heard in her ear  
piece, again, this time from the guy next to her. 'Cancel.' He said only a  
moment later as Bentley moved again. Damn, this was frustrating, of  
course guilt makes everything more frustrating, she thought.

INSIDE...

Bentley shifted to his left while talking, again, on the phone with Layne. He  
stopped long enough to slam the phone down and pick up the cell. He was  
growing more agitated by the minute. "Damn cops can't get anything right!"  
He yelled into the room. "You and me, cop, we're leaving here, together,  
one way or another. It could be in a van or in body bags, but either way..."  
He didn't finish, just let his words hang heavy in the air.

Steve didn't like the plural use of 'body bags' but he knew there would be no  
van. That's just the way things worked. You don't give a perp what he  
wants like that. Since there was nothing he could do about the current  
situation, at least not at the moment anyway, he let his mind wonder to  
Catherine; 'We spent some time together this weekend.', 'Damn. I  
even had a great Christmas present picked out for her. Okay, probably  
could be thinking of more important things right now.', 'Like how beautiful  
she is. I'm gonna miss those big warm brown eyes of hers. Oh, and that  
smile. I'm gonna miss that, too.', 'Wish I could have taken her dancing just  
once more. Not to the bar like when we were with the Danny and Gabby, although  
that was fun, but back to that fancy restaurant with the dance floor so I can  
hold her close. Maybe she'd even wear those wine colored pumps again.'  
Then his train of thought was suddenly broken.

Bang! Steve jerked his head 'round to see Bentley kicking the office door.  
Bang! "I told you lousy cops you'd better stay out!" He shouted as he  
continued kicking. Bang! The phone rang. "I told you lousy cops you'd  
better stay out!" He repeated to Layne who insisted they had not entered  
the building. Bentley slammed the phone down instead of listening. He was  
really loosing it. "I hate cops." He spat out, glaring at Steve as he picked  
up his gun.

MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE...

Kono, once again, had Bentley in her sights. He'd finally stopped kicking  
the door long enough to answer the phone. That was good. She needed  
him to hold still to get a shot off. "I've got a shot." She said into her mic.  
'Take the shot.' she heard back in her ear piece. She watched Bentley  
raise his gun to take aim at Steve. She could shoot Bentley in the hand that  
held the gun, but he could use the phone in his other hand to set off the  
bomb. She could shoot him in the hand that held the phone, but he could  
use the gun in his other hand to shoot Steve. She knew she had only one  
choice, and one chance.

She squeezed the trigger.

Note: for all of you that are Steve/Kono fans... yeah, you guessed it, just substitute her name for Catherine's.


	11. Officer Bull's Eye

Okay, readers, so chapter 10 ended with Kono pulling the trigger. She didn't want to aim for the hand with the gun because Bentley could still use the phone to set off the bomb. She didn't want to aim for the hand with the phone, because he could just shoot Steve. She knew she would only get one shot. So what did she aim for? And was her aim true, or will her worse fears come to life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 11 "Officer Bull's Eye"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INSIDE THE JEWELRY STORE...

Steve sucked in a deep breath as Bentley picked up the gun. _'Oh God, I hate bombs.'_

The phone rang. Surely, it was Layne looking to stall again. Bentley looked  
down at the phone as if wondering whether or not to answer it, but he never  
got to make that decision as suddenly the glass at one of the windows had  
a hole in it the same size as the one in the back of his head. He slumped  
forward over the desk, the gun and phone still in his hands, eyes still open  
as if in shock at what could have just happened to him.

OUTSIDE...

Kono lay on her back, her heart racing. She'd rolled over and held her  
breath as soon as she'd pulled the trigger. If a bomb went off just now it would be her  
fault. It would have been her mistake that got him killed. But there was no  
bomb, nor was there a gun shot from Bentley.

MEANWHILE...

The second Bentley slumped forward onto the desk Steve lurched out of the chair and across the desk in front of him, grabbing for the cell phone in Bentley's hand. Some sniper had just taken him out, saving his life, so the last thing he needed was Bentley's body, which was slowly sliding off the desk, to  
land on the phone and detonate the bomb. Yeah, that would be pretty  
stupid. He grabbed the phone just as the dead body of the man who  
had held him captive slid away from him and to the floor. SWAT and the Bomb Squad had  
begun rushing through the door before the body hit hard tiles and someone  
kicked the gun away, just in case he was still alive. Not that the hole in the  
back of his head gave much option of that, but yeah, just to be safe. Oh,  
and someone even checked for a pulse. If honest, Steve would have to  
admit he was glad when they didn't find one.

One problem down, one to go.

Steve still had a bomb strapped to his chest.

TEN MINUTES LATER...

Steve stepped outside via the back door where their little trip to a crime  
scene had originally started. He felt bad for a moment, like they were  
traipsing all over Charlie's evidence, then he remembered,_ 'oh yeah, this case_  
_is closed_' and walked on, glancing back only to see the bomb squad securing the  
vest he had worn in a safety container for transport. He exited the alley and came to the front corner of the  
building, the same way he and Kono had gone several hours earlier, to be greeted by  
numerous colleagues; HPD, more SWAT, CSI's, more Bomb Squad, and... his mother.

He didn't remember taking the steps to reach her, because all he could  
think was _'Oh God, if that bomb had gone off and she had to live through this.'_  
The next thing he knew his mother was pulling him into a tight hug,  
with no obvious intention of letting go any time soon. "Son," He finally  
heard her say, "you are so lucky your sister flew home this morning."

Steve felt many pats on the back, as well as Max examining his arm, as  
he and his mother spent just a few more minutes together. And it took more than a  
moment for him to realize one of them came from Chin, who had  
probably been standing there the whole time. "Where's Kono?" He asked  
him immediately. "Is she at the hospital? Her head. She hit her head really  
hard. They're checking her out, right? And there was glass everywhere.  
She had cuts all over her han-"

"She's okay, Steve." Chin said, cutting him off, yet somewhat pleased  
at the obvious concern for his cousin's safety. Although he did have to wonder  
if their fearless Super SEAL Commander wasn't still just a little bit shaken over what had happened.

MEANWHILE...

Kono descended the stairs and took to the street with the SWAT team as they headed  
back the way they had come earlier. She could see Steve down the street with who looked  
from that distance to be his mother. Chin and Danny she could tell were hovering nearby.  
She rested her rifle on her should and continued the trek.

"She's okay, Steve." She could hear her cousin say as she approached.

"Who's okay?" She asked, as there were no female hostages. Her voice caused them to turn to her.

"Uh, that would be you, Kono." Danny said, rubbing his palms together before gesturing to her as he continued, "Or, should we call you Officer Bull's Eye?"

But no one answered that question, as Steve had stepped forward and enveloped her in a hug. "Thanks, Officer Bull's Eye." He finally mumbled into her hair.

"Glad you're okay,... Steven." She smirked as they attempted to part, but that wasn't going to happen yet, as Chin and Danny wrapped arms around both of them, effectively enveloping them in a group hug.

"It looks like someone needs to see that _you're _okay, too." Steve eventually said, with a nod of his head, and Kono turned to see Adam standing across the street. If no one knew better, they'd think he was just another gawker in the crowd gathered behind the yellow tape. But then again, most of those gawkers didn't have a look of pure relief on their face right now.

THAT NIGHT...

"Dang it." Kono all but growled in frustration as the bottle slipped in her hands again.

"Here, let me do that." Steve offered at seeing her try to twist the top off her beer bottle with her  
hands bandaged and took the bottle from her.

"Sorry." She offered quietly. "I'm just frustrated with these stupid bandages." She  
added while watching him twist the cap off easily. She didn't like not being able to do things for herself and  
was just sure that Max had overreacted to the cuts on her hands with all that stupid gauze.  
"Wait a minute. You're not supposed to have any alcohol." She added at seeing him take a drink from his own bottle, remembering the pain killers he was given after his arm was stitched and bandaged. Steve raised a brow, but said nothing.

"He's not taking them, is he?" She asked Danny, rhetorically, of course, as he emerged  
from the patio door onto the lanai at Steve's house, with a tray of veggies.

"Pain killers?" Danny asked, though not really needing clarification. "Of course not." He answered  
without needing her to respond, and could hear Chin smirking nearby as he manned the grill.

Kono just rolled her eyes as they watched Steve walk away.

Steve was headed to the railing at the other end of the lanai. He grabbed another beer from the cooler as he passed by, twisted off the top, and handed it to Catherine as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. She smiled as she took the beer from him, her empty bottle on the table behind them. He always did have good timing.

She leaned back against him slightly as his chin came to rest on her shoulder, and they both stared out at the ocean. "You did a lot for me today. Keeping my mother calm and distracted." He finally said, referring to the two women ending up at the coffee shop down the street from the jewelry store until the explosion brought them both running back.

Catherine turned toward him far enough to make eye contact before looking back out at the ocean. "Yeah, well, apparently neither one of us are very good at being told to 'stay behind the crime scene tape and wait'. Besides, she wasn't the only one who needed a distraction."

"How did you find out about what was happening at the jewelry store?" He asked, and she went on to tell him about seeing Kono's bloody vest on the tv.

"Oh, that explains it." He said, finally connecting the last of the dots.

"Explains what?" She asked.

"Why Danny was talking about going to the tv station tomorrow morning." He explained. "I have a feeling that reporter will be looking for a paper route soon."

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The end  
Oh, come on,... this is the final chapter and your last chance to use the Reply button. Go for it.


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